Marjorie Lotfi Gill

Gather In

Now begins the cataract of autumn,
slow dulling of light, the peripheral hedges
and fences come sharper into sight.
Now begins the knowing without seeing,
floorboards like memory laid out
underfoot. Now begins the needlework,
stitching one morning to another, dawn
to sunset to dawn, the lace days
gap-toothed with loss. Now begins
the darkness, ticking of kettle aching
for the boil, the cross hatch of hour
across hour of night, the drum
of wind along the slate roof keeping
time, this endless waiting for light.

Marjorie Lotfi Gill’s poems have won competitions, been published widely in journals and anthologies (including The Rialto, Magma, Rattle and Gutter), and been performed on BBC Radio 4. Her pamphlet Refuge, poems about her childhood in revolutionary Iran, is published by Tapsalteerie Press. Marjorie founded The Belonging Project, exploring the refugee experience, and is a founder and director of Open Book, a charity providing reading groups within community settings across Scotland. She is the Chair of Trustees for the Wigtown Book Festival.